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The dead sea
The Dead Sea (Sea of Death in Arabic) is located 16 miles east of Jerusalem. Its eastern shore belongs to Jordan, and the rest belongs to Israel. It is sixty miles long and ten miles wide. The Dead Sea has several names in the ancient sources:
Arabah
Joshua 3:16 “the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”
The Salt Sea
Joshua 18:19 “Then the border continued to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.”
The Eastern Sea
Zechariah 14:8 “And on that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.”
The Lake Asphaltites
The Antiquities of the Jews 15:6:2 “… he (Herod the Great) desired the Arabian governor to send to him some horsemen, who should receive him, and conduct him to the lake Asphaltites, which is from the bounds of Jerusalem three hundred furlongs …”
Why has the Dead Sea been a dire environment for marine life, plants, and animals around it to flourish? How has a “dead” sea become alive and is fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 47:8–10? Let’s find out now!
The dead sea view
The Dead Sea is named because marine life, plants, and animals around it have difficulty flourishing.
For marine life, for thousands of years, the Jordan River has carried water from the Sea of Galilee to the lowest point (-1,300 feet) on the earth, the Dead Sea, where once the water from the river enters the lake, there is no way for it to flow out. In addition, the scourge of the desert sun causes the water in the sea to evaporate and intensifies the salinity level. Therefore, the water of the Dead Sea looks oily due to its high salinity and density. Hence, marine life cannot live in the Dead Sea.
For the plants and animals, the unproductive, thin, stony, and immature soils around the Dead Sea have become salty as well, causing most of the plants or animals to be unable to flourish around the Dead Sea.
Floating without Effort
The Dead Sea water contains many valuable minerals and salts. Since its mineral content averages 35% by weight, it makes us float without having to know how to swim on our backs.
The Dead Sea Mud: This mud contains various minerals and salt combinations that are not found anywhere else in the world. That’s why The Dead Sea Mud is a blooming business, especially for cosmetic products. I was on the northern beach, which is full of mud; its mud is good for our skin. I saw a lot of beachgoers put mud all over their bodies.
Dead Sea Salt: Salt from the sea was used to preserve meat. Nowadays, its salt is found to be rich in zinc and bromide, which help to reduce inflammation, improve blood circulation, and treat skin diseases.
P.S. If you go “swimming” in the Dead Sea with a cut or a wound, the salt will make you scream!!! Also, do not let the water enter your eyes because it could harm them. The beach has showers, and you should wash your eyes immediately if the salt water enters them.
Receding
Recently, the Dead Sea is receding quickly because:
- The Dead Sea contains valuable minerals and salt, which generate a lot of businesses. Both Israel and Jordan have been extracting it enormously. As a result, more than half a billion cubic meters of water are pumped out of the Dead Sea every year for businesses.
- The water in the Galilee and Jordan Rivers is diverted to supply a growing population and agriculture. These locations are the primary sources of the Dead Sea.
Receding in Progress in 1972
“All three images include a combination of near-infrared, red, and green wavelengths. Deep waters are blue or dark blue, while brighter blues indicate shallow waters or salt ponds (in the south). The pale pink and sand-colored regions are barren desert landscapes, while green indicates sparsely vegetated lands. Denser vegetation appears bright red. Near the center is the Lisan Peninsula, which forms a land bridge through the Dead Sea.”
Receding in Progress in 1989
As you can see in the picture, after 17 years since 1972, the Dead Sea is receding even more. Several proposals have been suggested, such as pumping more treated sewage into the Dead Sea, filling the Jordan River with desalinated seawater, or the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal project signed in 2013 between Jordan and Israel. None of them are working due to political, environmental, and economic hurdles.
Receding in Progress in 2011
Compare this picture to the one that was taken in 1972. Because less and less water has been flowing into the Dead Sea, its level has been receding, and the whole southern end is almost dry or shallow water only.
The Prophecy
The Dead Sea will have many fish and living creatures living around it. How and when could it happen? In fact, it is happening now! And where do the life forms come from? They come from the sinkholes.
How are sinkholes formed?
When the Dead Sea water recedes, it leaves a thick underground layer of salt. When winter floods flow to the Dead Sea, the fresh water dissolves the salt, and huge underground caverns form. They eventually collapse, and the sinkholes appear. These sinkholes are part of giant cave systems that carry water underground between the sinkholes. The underground spring water coming from the cliffs of Rouen and Jerusalem Mount comes out of the sinkholes after floods.
Now some sinkholes and the freshwater ponds even have fish, more vegetation is growing, and birds are migrating over there. We are now experiencing and witnessing what Ezekiel’s prophecy said to the Dead Sea!
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